For The Love Of Port

Image that like me, you have no wine cellar full of nicely aged bottles of Port that you've been babying for years. Imagine that there is no group of Port lovers nearby to hold tastings. In other words, the only way you're going to taste any given bottle of Port is to go out and buy it. So, with that image in mind, what bottle would you buy if your budget (for a single bottle) was $50? $100? $250? $500? $1000?

Carl D wrote:Image that like me, you have no wine cellar full of nicely aged bottles of Port that you've been babying for years. Imagine that there is no group of Port lovers nearby to hold tastings. In other words, the only way you're going to taste any given bottle of Port is to go out and buy it. So, with that image in mind, what bottle would you buy if your budget (for a single bottle) was $50? $100? $250? $500? $1000?

$50 - The best 20-yr old Tawny you can find.
$100 - Depending on when you want to drink it, either a 1985 Graham or a 1985 Fonseca.
$250 - Getting tougher. 1966 Fonseca? Can you still get those for $250?
$500 - I actually think this is an unreasonable price to pay for a bottle of Port. At this price or higher, you'd be better off buying two (or more) cheaper bottles. Plus I can't actually think of anything you can get for $500 or thereabouts.
$1000 - I suppose if you have to spend it all on one bottle... 1994 Noval Nacional.

Here's mine
$50 - 2005 Quinta d. Roeda VP
$100 - 1985 Fonseca VP
$250 - 1963 Fonseca VP
$500 - 1955 Graham's VP
$1000 - 1945 Croft VP

*some of these would depend on the market price fluctuations

Mine would be:
$50 - 1996 Fonseca Guimerans SQVP
$100 - 1977 Warres VP
$250 - 1970 Fonseca VP
$500 - 1955 Fonseca VP*
$1000 - 1945 Croft VP*

*noted that I've not had the opportunity to date to try these last two, but they would be my top "wish to try" bottles in each of those price ranges.

Here it goes...

$50 - Ferreira 20 Year Old
$100 - 1987 Taylor
$250 - 1970 Niepoort
$500 - 1955 Niepoort
$1000 - 1927 Taylor

Presuming I have nothing, I picked things I could drink now or soon. If I were starting to stock up that empty cellar, I might pick some more recent bottlings to age.

$50 - 1992 Cockburn Quinta dos Canais, 1994 Martinez, 1994 Niepoort
$100 - Whatever I could get from 1970, Smith Woodhouse, Taylor (Spectrum auction), ...
$250 - 1955 Burmester Colheita, or other colheita in this range
$500 - 1927 Croft, 1927 Martinez, 1922 Sandeman
$1000 - 1994 Quinta do Noval Nacional, or maybe an older Nacional

I'm surprised you didn't have more colheita there Glenn.

Eric Menchen wrote:I'm surprised you didn't have more colheita there Glenn.

Yeah, I thought about it. I could have inserted one at $100 and at $250, but I run into the same problem at $500 and $1000 - I just feel like that's too much to spend on a single bottle.

$100 - any number of 40-yr olds can be found at this price if you look hard enough. Noval's is probably the easiest to find and well worth it.
$250 - that's about what I paid for my 1937 Warre Colheitas. I'd do it again... but there are none to be found. Your 1955 Burmester would do the trick.

$50 - 92 Vesuvio
$100 - 1985 Fonseca VP
$250 - 1966 Fonseca VP
$500 - 1955 Dow's VP
$1000 - A plane trip to visit fellow forumites for an offline

Jeff G. wrote:$50 - 92 Vesuvio
$100 - 1985 Fonseca VP
$250 - 1966 Fonseca VP
$500 - 1955 Dow's VP
$1000 - A plane trip to visit fellow forumites for an offline

hey now, that's not a correct answer . However, if you added that you also bought a bottle to take along to share, that would be ok

Andy Velebil wrote:

Jeff G. wrote:$50 - 92 Vesuvio
$100 - 1985 Fonseca VP
$250 - 1966 Fonseca VP
$500 - 1955 Dow's VP
$1000 - A plane trip to visit fellow forumites for an offline

hey now, that's not a correct answer . However, if you added that you also bought a bottle to take along to share, that would be ok

You could buy the 250$ btl
and still have 750$ left over for flights and hotel

Wow, no one has mentioned 1948 Taylor or 1931 Noval on their list

I see you can buy 1948 Taylor for around $1000, but I don't see any current listings for 1931 Noval on wine-searcher. I suspect you can find a bottle at auction, but it is pretty rare.

Moses Botbol wrote:1931 Noval on their list

Uh, maybe cause it sells for a tad more than $1,000

I think the 45 Taylor is above $1000 as well.
For me,
$50 Ferreira Duque de Braganca 20-year old.
$100 Fonseca 1985.
$250 Grahams 1955.
$500 Kopke 1937 colheita.
$1000 Croft 1945.

I love questions like this and have just spent a very happy hour figuring out what I would go for.

$50 - I figured out that this came down to a choice of a minor name from a relatively recent year. But since we're talking about wines for drinking now, I had to keep that in mind. I considered Vesuvio 1998, Churchill 1985, Malvedos 1986 or 1987 and Martinez 1994, but I finally settled on Smith Woodhouse 1980

$100 - A massive range that I was tempted by, some mature and delicious, others still youthful and vigorous. Examples included Cockburn 1967, Dalva 1970, Dow 1977, 1980, 1983 or 1985, Fonseca 1985, Fonseca Guimaraens 1976, Graham 1977, 1980, 1983 or 1985, Taylor 1985 or Vargellas 1987. But I have to live up to my reputation - so I went for the Vesuvio 1994 as my perfect choice.

$250 - Now things really start to get complicated. We're talking about big names from perfectly mature years: Cockburn 1955, 1963s from Dow, Graham Sandeman or Warre; Fonseca 1966(!), 1970s from Dow, Fonseca, Graham, Taylor or Warre; 1977 from Fonseca, Taylor or Warre. With such a choice, it was really tough to turn away from the 1966 Fonseca or the Graham 1977, but I finally settled on the Morgan 1945, a fabulous, concentrated port from an amazing vintage that I have only ever tasted once.

$500 - I was surprised, I only found a small choice although I admit that it was a choice of big names from big years. Croft 1927, Graham 1963 and Taylor 1963 were all considered and rejected in favour of Fonseca 1963, my favourite 1963 (other than the extraordinarily expensive Nacional).

$1000 - Back to a huge choice of top names from fabulous vintages. I was so tempted by Cockburn, Croft or Sandeman 1935; Croft or Dow 1945; Graham or Taylor 1948 or Nacional 1966...but after agonising for ages, I finally plumped for the Nacional 1967

So that's my list: Smith Woodhouse 1980, Vesuvio 1994, Morgan 1945, Fonseca 1963 and Nacional 1967!

Eric Ifune wrote:I think the 45 Taylor is above $1000 as well.

The 1948 has a few listings $1000 below, including a bottle at EWR. The 1945 I found at wine-searcher also for $1000 or less, but after those first three listings, it jumps to $1800. There was a lot of 6 bottles of the 1945 at that Spectrum auction just a few days ago, estimate of £3,000, but it didn't sell. Not sure about that as I didn't follow the auction.

I love all the ideas here! When the budget allows, this should serve as good source material to help decide "what to buy next". Right now the wine budget is pretty much depleted

$50: 2003 Quinta do Portal or Fonseca

$100: 1977 Gould Campbell or 1985 Fonseca

$250: IF I could find a 1952 Dalva Golden White Colheita in 750, otherwise a 1966 Fonseca

$500: A magnum of 1963 Fonseca

$1000: 1948 Fonseca or 1912 Niepoort Colheita

$50: Quarles 77 / Churchill 85

$100: Graham / Fonseca 85

$250: Graham / Fonseca 66 (or 63...or 70...!)

$500: Graham 55

$1000: ? Graham or Fonseca from the 40s!

It is no coincidence that we have yet to see a single Canadian post a response in this thread. I think we should to our Canadian Port loving brethren, and for a moment, share in their pain.